STAW POLL SUGGESTED ON LAKE LEANINGS; COUNTIES RENEW TALKS ON PROJECT

JACKSON -- Bollinger County Presiding Commissioner Elwood Mouser has proposed to conduct a straw poll in Bollinger County to determine if voters there should be given the opportunity to vote on whether they want a recreational lake.

His proposal was made at a meeting Tuesday night of the Cape Girardeau-Bollinger County Lake Committee, the county commissions of both counties, and other interested people.

Mouser also said that if the poll shows a majority favors the issue being decided at the polls, it will be put to a vote in Bollinger County.

Critics of his proposal contended the poll would not be accurate or accountable, and would provide ample opportunity for cheating.

Nevertheless, lake committee and Cape County Commission members did not object to an unofficial, non-binding straw poll being conducted.

The poll is expected to be done in about two or three weeks.

The meeting was called at the request of its members, who wanted to know whether the lake has a future or the committee should disband.

The issue became dormant about eight months ago when the Bollinger County Commission decided not to submit a 1-cent sales tax to a vote until after legislation that outlined the powers of a lake authority to oversee development and maintenance of the project had been revised to comply with concerns raised by Bollinger County residents.

Because the Bollinger County Commission did not order it put to a vote, neither did the Cape County Commission. The project would be a joint project of both counties.

The defeat last November of presiding commissioner Charles Hawn, a strong supporter of the lake project, also helped put the lake proposal on the back burner. Mouser said in the election that he opposed the lake and he still is opposed.

Mouser said: "I don't think myself or the other two commissioners should say that you can build the lake or can't build the lake. I don't take responsibility on this."

He said straw poll ballots will run in two consecutive issues of the Marble Hill Banner-Press newspaper, which has a circulation of about 3,500.

"I want the people to decide, not me," said Mouser. "If there is one vote over 50 percent, we'll put it on the ballot. If there is one vote over 50 percent against it, we'll be done with it. We can give you a decision in two weeks."

Cape Girardeau County Presiding Commissioner Gene Huckstep said he wasn't opposed to the straw poll.

"If it's a bad deal, we'll put it to bed," said Huckstep.

Huckstep said he would rather see the issue placed on a legal ballot so the people of Cape Girardeau County would also have the opportunity to decide the issue. But, he said, Cape County cannot force a vote in Bollinger County.

"We want our (Cape County) people to be able to tell us which way to go," said Huckstep. "Right now we're spinning our wheels. But one thing: we are not going to spend any more money on this project."

Huckstep said Cape County has spent about $80,000 on lake project planning, while Cape Girardeau and Jackson have contributed over $20,000 each and Marble Hill $3,000.

Huckstep said the lake project is dead without Bollinger County's participation. "The buck stops with the Bollinger County Commission," he said.

Although there was confusion over exact wording of the straw-poll ballot, it would apparently contain two proposals:

Should the people of Bollinger County be permitted to vote on the lake issue?

Would they be in favor of the 1-cent sales tax to finance the $73 million project?

There apparently would be no mention about changes to 12 amendments requested last year by Bollinger County.

But, Huckstep said, Cape County would not back down on the two issues of zoning and a 300-foot restrictive perimeter around the proposed lake.

Those were among matters of contention between those in favor of and those against the lake when it was at issue last year.

Lake committee members criticized the holding of the poll, saying there is no way it would accurately reflect the will of the people since it would provide the opportunity for ballot-box stuffing on both sides.

They also said there would be no way to verify the name of the person on each ballot was actually the same person who cast the straw-poll ballot.

Huckstep agreed. "This thing could be rigged so easily," he said."

Leland Flor, publisher of the Marble Hill Banner-Press, said he supported a legal vote of the people on the lake issue.

"The only real, effective poll is at the ballot box," said Flor.

Committee Member Kenneth Englehart, a resident of Bollinger County, pointed out there was no way the newspaper ballots could reach all of the registered voters in Bollinger County with its 3,500 circulation.

According to the last count, there are 7,700 registered voters who are 18 years and older in Bollinger County, which has a population of 10,600 people.

It was suggested that different colored ballots be printed and made available at the courthouse. They would be counted separately from the rest of the ballots.

Following the 30-minute meeting, Englehart told Mouser a straw poll would encourage cheating by both sides and doom the project.

"To ask for a survey with no control on a project of this kind is destroying the thing without a fair vote," Englehart said. "With the way you're (Mouser) proceeding, there is absolutely no control over it."

But Mouser told Englehart he would not allow the issue to go to the voters because he campaigned against it to begin with.

"My reason for not putting it on the ballot is that I was elected. I campaigned against that (lake issue) and I'm still against it, "said Mouser. But one lake committee member replied, "You're denying a lot of people the chance to speak for themselves."

Lake Committee Chairman Charles Haubold said he was concerned the poll will not accurately reflect the will of the people of Bollinger County.

"If we knew it would be accurate, we could all live with that, and not look back," he said. "But, if it is 50 percent off, 10 percent off, or 90 percent off, we'll always know in the back of our minds that it was not conducted accurately."